Determination to Preserve Legacy

Ibu Widianti made three goddesses in batik, 

representing the three roots/religions/culture Oey Soe Tjoen is part of

A big reason to be in Indonesia now, is the exhibition ‘Oey Soe Tjoen ~ Keteguhan Hati

Merawat Wanisa, Determination to Preserve Legacy, An Art Exhibition From 3 Generations For 100 Years’, that is only open from 25 July until 3 August at TIM in Jakarta (Only two days left! Get your free ticket here!)

At the Oey Soe Tjoen exhibition

Look at this qilin! And the clouds!

Ibu Widianti, the third generation running the famous batikworkshop Oey Soe Tjoen gathered batiks from all over. On loan from private collectors, wearers and many of her own pieces, to show the history, development & hopefully future of OST. I think there are about 100+ batiks on show, showing the 100 year development of Oey Soe Tjoen!

I was very happy to get an invite for the opening on Friday 25 July, but also had a ticket for the next day. Easily could have gone a third time, so much to see and so much to enjoy.

What would this exhibition visit be without running into many familiar faces & dear friends. Rushing towards the opening, outside I heard my name being called by Mas Dewa, my batik buddy from Pekalongan. He and others from Pekalongan just came over one day for the opening and headed back by train at night. Mas Dewa was rocking one of the batiks he inherited from his grandmother, so cool!

Biggest plus of this opening was for sure getting to see even more OST batik. All these ladies & men wearing the actual OST!! Next to these, many worn other great batiks, styled with kebaya’s, beaded shoes and more. Made so many photos of everyone’s looks & shoes!

Even more OST batiks during the opening

Indradjid Sofwan, after many late nights building up, wearing OST

Mas Dewa in his grandmothers sarong, love!

Me with Little Red Riding Hood

Ibu Widianti welcomed us in the space, with a lion dance and opening the doors of a chinese style entrance. She did this every day of the exhibition! Welcoming everyone into her batik world.

The first floor shows the history and development, highlighting their signature style of pagi-sore (day-night batik design) with on one side buketan (bouquet of flowers) and the other side cuwiri (kraton motif with garuda wings and the dancing peacock).

At first glance it is just many of the same thing, and a classic Ibu Widianti for sure got tired of reproducing for customers. But seeing them together, with the different generations versions and in different colours, was a true feast and education as well. 

Second floor shows Ibu Widianti’s artistry. This floor made me emotional. How Widianti search for the balance between traditional, family legacy and finding freedom to create your own story within batik is so inspiring, beautiful, brave and cool. It makes her in my eyes the rockstar of batik! The quality throughout the generations stayed extremity high, with isen-isen (filling motifs) and colour combination that is so fine, it is hard to comprehend this is drawn and dyed all by hand. 

I was so happy seeing all these pieces. Pieces I know from books, but never saw with my own eyes. Pieces that without this exhibition would have only been enjoyed by the collectors owning them. 

Although the exhibition is a celebration, I think it should come also with a warning. While it is still being made, we are losing this too. Ibu Widianti considers herself the last generation, not wanting to force this life(style) upon her children. Also there are no new batikmakers being trained at OST. This means these makers are the last generation of pembatik who have the knowledge on how to create these batiks…It is a scary thought, that among the enjoyment of seeing so much beauty & talent gets maybe overlooked, but it is a reality never the less…

It is amazing to be in this moment in time, being able to witness history being made in Batik, but I hope this is not a mark of the end, but of the future of Batik. Hopefully it inspires a new generation, not only to buy & collected, but to wear and make.

The wearing is going a lot better already, my social media was full of people dressed in style, kebaya kain style, to visit this exhibition. Now we just need to really really start to appreciate the actual makers (financially!) and make sure a new generation can follow in their footsteps, or better their hands (when is someone finally opening a craftcentrum, or educational place for pembatik?!)

Terima kasih Ibu Widinati untuk undang saya dan selamat canting, sukses selalu dan hopefully no more ripping of your sarongs or objects being stolen from the exhibition (who does that?!?)

Posing with Ibu Widianti and Daniel

On Saturday 26 July I was invited to Pak Hartono’s home and look at batik from his collection. I was lucky to see several pieces from his collection over the years (in 2019, in 2022, twice). This visit Daniel & Tony joined with some others. On my request we got to see several ‘Batik kompeni’, batiks with figures on them originally with or without a link to war in them. Daniel requested batiks linked to the exhibition currently in Singapore, signed by Oeij Kok Sing and Jane Hendromartono. Which was amazing! Turns out Pak Hartono’s has many. 

It is always wonderful to get a close look at Pak Hartono’s batiks, discuss their provenance, possible date & more. 

We got to see many more and at the end Pak Hartono shared his new product. A couple years ago he was making very fine, but one side only batik tulis, copies of batik from his collection. But now he is back to making actual copies, these printed textiles are also copies of his collection, but with a clear mark on them not to be confused with real batik, on the side it reads: ‘Textile motif Batik Nitiswastra’. And although my thought on print are known, I was glad to see this was added to clarify. 

Thank you so much for welcoming is and hosting us. Many thanks also to Pak Hartono wife & Mas Dance!

Pak Hartono showing a batik with airballon design

Comparing this batik work to one in a book

When your paspoort function as a design reference

Oey Soe Tjoen, anther maker and Eliza van Zuylen using the same design

Next to seeing many batik, I also got to hang out with friends & colleagues, makan waktu bersama (spending time together).

So happy to catch up with Absa and Asri on their research, work at museums and plans after we got to hang out in Laos last year. The future of textiles is much brighter with these two taking care of them. It is so nice to talk in so much depth on batik, but also textile history, research, exhibitions and preservation.

With Bev at the Kebaya event at Pos Bloc

Also finally met Bev of the instagram Ode to Less. It was so nice working with her for the white kebaya research. She brought her own made white European style kebaya and we talk about how the old ones are made. Looking forward working more on this in the near future, the construction of the kebaya and what they might unravel historically. 

Tony in the beskap at Noni Srikaya

We met at the Kebaya event at Pos Bloc, but turned out it didn’t really start until the evening. Got to visit Tifa’s new store Nona Srikaya, a safespace to berkain & berkebaya! Of cours Toni finds right away this great beskap inspired jacket. I will order a kebaya from there soon, because her style is very cool!

It is even featured in this video promoting berkebaya that was launched on Hari Kebaya >> 

Spend my last morning in Jakarta visiting Museum Mandiri, yes like the bank. This was in the past the office the Nederlandse Handelmaatschappij (NHM). Build in 1929, opened on 1933, apparently on the ruins Fort Batavia…The new building was named Factorij, which still is above the entrance.

The NHM, or in English Netherlands Trading Society was a Dutch trading and financial company, established in 1824, in The Hague by King William I to promote and develop trade, shipping and agriculture. It was meant to be a replacement of the bankrupt VOC and to generate as much profit as possible for the Dutch economy. NHM traded many things, but what it less know is that one of their bigger trade products were Opium and Cotton. This part of trade was interwoven if you will. The NHM shipped plain woven cotton from the Netherlands, from Twente to be more precise, to Indonesia where it was used in the batik industry! The fine machine woven cotton made it possible to even draw more fine batik. But the NHM also imported imitation batiks to Indonesia, to compete with the actual handmade batiks. They not just imported them, they were the main distributor, places specific orders at cottonprinting companies for specific places in Southeast Asia. NHM exporting Indigo and other raw materials from Indonesia to the Netherlands were it was used within the textile production. Often making its way either back to Southeast Asia or other places colonized by the Dutch. 

Tiles at Museum Mandiri

Old safes in the basement

Not surprisingly, this story is not yet clearly featured in the exhibitions at Museum Mandiri. But it was good to see what was being displayed. At least the history and connected to this place and the VOC & NHM is shared. In the basement, next to all the safes, there is an exhibition on the architecture of the building and photos of all the other NHM buildings spread over Indonesia. 

I especially was fascinated by the tiles and their colour and ritme. They reminded me of the colours RekaLagam has in their pigments (see my previous post). Would be nice/interesting to do something with these pigments & tiles to address the NHM’s textile history.. to be continued… 

Everywhere are these stalls selling red & white for upcoming Independence day celebrations

Tiba di Jawa

With the batik attributed to Kartini at Museum Nasional

On 20 July I arrived on Java to catch the last day of the exhibition ‘Catur Kultur pada Wastra Indonesia’ at Museum

Tekstil. I headed there straight from the airport. The exhibition was extended till 3 August, but it was a good thing I saw it when I did. 

It is a lovely, simple yet effective exhibition showing the four cultures that are threaded into the fabrics of Indonesia;

'Chinese cultural elements have been adapted as decorative motifs on Indonesian textiles, among them: Chinese dragons (loong), phoenix-like birds called fenghuang, the chimerical creature gilin, lotus flowers, peonies, as well as various symbols of good fortune. In a similar vein, Indian textiles have been traded across the world for centuries, and we can now see traces of their significant influence on Indonesian textiles. Furthermore, Islamic influence on Indonesian textile works is most evident in the use of Arabic calligraphy as decorative motifs, especially in batik and embroidery. Europeans also contributed to the diversity of Indonesian textile motifs with European-style crests and emblems, images of cherubs or angels blowing trumpets, cupids carrying bows and arrows, and floral arrangements known as the buketan motif (from the word 'bouquet'). The motifs, techniques and philosophical meanings of Indonesian textiles are a cultural heritage that must be preserved.'

As the museum texts but so nicely. It had some lovely Batik pieces, next to many other types of Indonesian textiles. 

Signed 'M. Coenraad, Patjitan'

Batik Besurek from Cirebona at Museum Tekstil in Jakarta

Patola, or now called Jlamprang or nitik motifs on display

Of course a visit like this, would not be without some cosmic joke. When leaving for the Rumah Batik, I saw a gentlemen sitting at the exit dressed in a batik & nice shirt. I complimented him and he asked me where I was from. Very common in Indonesia, to ask; Dari mana? I thought the usual chitchat, but not this time. I say, dari Belanda (from the Netherlands). He replies; oh I am actually meeting a Dutch lady this week named Sabine. I am like, ehh I am Sabine..?!?

Turns out he was part of the Bekasi berkain group I was meeting on Wednesday. Part of the group was still there, so we got to say hi and take some photos. What a small world!

Meeting the Bekasi berkain group at Museum Tekstil

In Rumah Batik I sit down to charge my phone. A cat out of nowhere came loud meowing to me and climbed on my lap. Loud purring it stayed with me while I was waiting for my phone to be more full. When my phone was full enough, I made my round. The Rumah Batik has not been updated since I was here last. The batiks shown are great, but missing some much needed information.

Batik display in Rumah Batik at Museum Tekstil

Text signs of these two batiks

Charging my phone and my spirit I guess at Museum Tekstil

After Museum Tekstil, I stopped by Galeri Nasional. They have an impressive exhibition with art made by children on topics like bullying & harassment. When entering the gallery you are informed on the topics, so you can prepare yourself or not continue. The artists are between 8 and 10 years old mostly, really inspiring.

After my flying start, I headed in the evening to Bandung. It is always nice to escape the macet (traffic jam) in Jakarta, unfortunately because many people feel the same, macet is now a thing in Bandung too. 

I was invited by Christine Lukman to visit someone with a private collection together with some colleagues of Christine. A vague description, but why not hang out & see some batiks. When entering the home of Ibu Josi, I spotted familiar artworks. A small scale version of the entrance sign of Museum Batik and one of the works inside. Turns out Ibu Daranindra Josi is the artist behind these metal batik motif works. 

Small versions of the Museum Batik sign

Ibu Josi's batik closet

After unfolding, enjoying and sharing stories on Ibu Josi's batik collection

Ibu Josi invited us to browse through her batik collection. Some were collected by her father, some collected recently when the (new) Museum Batik collection was literally being collected. The batiks the museum didn’t get, she got. The batiks are mostly newer, old pieces, as in after 1930’s continuing into the recent past. Very nice Tiga Negeri examples already made on one location, multiple with ayam pugur motif and much more. She uses her collection as inspiration for her artworks.

After lunch we took a stroll through the garden, amazing! And a peek into her workshop that is being remodeled. A lovely day, thank you Christine for organizing, thank you Ibu Josi for inviting us, taling time to share your collection, the lovely lunch & the kind gift!

Here a little more on how Ibu Josi’s artworks are created, Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Melalui Seni Genting Logam.

Revisiting Hasan Batik in Bandung

Batiks at Hasan Batik

From publication on the work & inspiration of the founder of Hasan batik

Next day I first met with Ibu Tyar & Ibu Nuning at ITB. It is always nice catching up and in person is even better. 

In the afternoon I visited Hasan Batik. The first and last time I stopped by was in 2016 (See my blogpost 'Hello Bandung' from 2016). I suggested this workshop to many to visit, but took me a while to revisit. During my visit Nia explained more about how her father Hasan set-up the batikworkshop after marrying her mother who was from a batikfamily in Pekalongan. Making Nia actually a 5th generation batikmaker! 

As a teacher at ITB her father pioneered with introducing Batik in Bandung, where originally batik was nog made in the past. Experimenting with designs made in Cap based on old motif such as Besurek and Tambal, he created his own signature style. His motto was ‘work in silence’, meaning that the work will speak for you, not your ego. 

When Hasan passed away, his daughter Nia continued in his footsteps. She made an exhibition in 2007 on her father’s work. 

Nia still makes the Tambal motif, but makes new designs too and try out on different fabrics. I shopped some different pieces, including a slendang that is already a new favorite, made on a more thicker woven fabric with blue squares. 

Thank you Nia for welcoming me after so many years. And would be great to showcase your father’s, and your, legacy in an exhibition, or book, or both!

Textiles in the RekaLagam booth

In the evening I returned to Jakarta, so I could join the next day on 23 July the RekaLagam workshops working with Natural Color from Mineral Waste Workshop during the Food & Hospitality Indonesia 2025 fair. 

Since working with Nidi Kusmaya on our natural dye project together with Tony Sugiarta, I have admired Nidi’s work on natural pigments. I wasn’t able to join an activity before, so I signed up for both. I got to use the pigments on fabric and on paper. 

In the examples on display I was drawn to the one inspired by cave drawings. Since the oldest ones are in Indonesia (see my post 'Decoding the hands' from 2014), it is so cool to use these pigments that might have been used by the early people of this planet. So for my “own” work on textile I used the stencils provided by RekaLagam and filled in bits by brush. Both Nidi & her assistent Kichan showed me all the tricks to get the best results. It was so nice to slow down and make.

For second workshop the same pigments and more, where used as watercolour giving very nice subtle shades. I liked how they kinda all look brownish, but give a wide variety of colours. 

It is fascinating how rich the colours from minerals are. Minerals that are now just wasted, but with this project put to use. There is a wonderful red coming from Papua, browns near Sukabumi, and more colours to be re-discovered still. 

It was a blast to get to hang out with Nidi again, just talking dyes, art & stuff. Thanks for showing me all the wonderful world of RekaLagam!

Making my own textile with the earth pigments

Founder of RekaLagam, Nidi Kusmaya showing the watercolours

With the Bebasi berkain group

In the evening I got to meet the Bekasi berkain group (See my previous post 'True Blue' on my visit to Griya Peni). Ibu Indra & Mbak Peni gathered a group of batik wearing, kebaya rocking people who will not let a moment pass by without berkain (wearing a kain/sarong) or berkebaya (wearing kebaya). It is so much fun & inspiring to see them on my social media. It is also a lot of FOMO from my side, so I asked Peni if I could meet everyone like during one of their activities. Peni instead arranged for us all to get together at Bakoel coffee (a tempoe doeloe style cafe) in Jakarta, near from where I was staying. So sweet! 

The group came Dressed! And I was impressed! Before the evening really started, I ask one of the members Jose to style my sarong. I brought 3 pieces of the Hasan Batiks I bought the day before in Bandung. Jose wrapped me in the kain & silk slendang with much ease. I was happy I could join the #berkain #bekasiberkain fun for one night.

We chatted the whole evening. The group had many questions for me, but I was also very happy to get to chance to ask why & when they started to wear sarong and/or kebaya. It is amazing that most started recently, after the pandemic in 2022, after getting inspired during lockdown online learning about traditional wear. Most wear it daily, experimenting with the best way to wrap the kain so you do not have a Marilyn Monroe moment on the scooter, or other malfunctions. They really use their own social media, jobs & daily life to promote wearing traditional wear With a modern twist! 

Thank you Ibu Indra & sister Peni for organizing! Looking forward to hanging out in sarong kebaya, or better, berkain berkebaya bersama, in the near future!

New sister, posing with Peni of Bekasi Berkain/Griya Peni

Posing with Batik sister Ibu Liesna in the hotel, celebrating Hari Kebaya

On 24 July Hari Kebaya, Kebaya day, was celebrated in Indonesia. Maybe the third time, but bigger since now the kebaya is an Unesco intangible heritage. 

I celebrated Kebaya day in two ways, online with a new Worldstory for the Wereldmuseum ~ read here ~ for now only in Dutch &  together with my batik sister Liesna. Actually I forgot to pack a kebaya for this trip, so I was very happy I could borrow a kebaya encim in one of my favorite colour from Liesna’s collection/fashionhouse. We first had a nice lunch & dropped my bag at the hotel I changed to. Turned out we were dressed as everyone working there. Great start haha!

We headed to Museum Nasional, we also visited together in 2022. But have not been since the fire of 16 September 2023. 

We just entered, and behind us we hear; “Sabine, is that you?”. Turn around and see Mbak Elok of Lawasan Batik, I think one of the most active batik promotors in Yogyakarta since the pandemic (see also my blog 'Taking Batik online' from 2021) What a surprise meeting again!

Meeting Mbak Elok, while visiting Museum Nasional with Bu Liesna, 

we pose together with her husband in front of the Haji Bilal batik

Me & Liesna went looking for batiks on display, mostly because I wanted to know if the batik attributed to Raden Adjeng Kartini survived. And it did! Read more about this batik in this blog I wrote.

Across from it was a batik by Haji Bilal, to which Mbak Eloks husband is a descendant of! He also arrived at the museum, and we got to take a photo together with it.

We also found several kebaya on display, even the one from Museum Rembang. Where I will take my tour, guess they have to visit Museum Nasional after to see this one. 

Batik by Haji Bilal at Museum Nasional

Kebaya from Museum Rembang now on display at Museum Nasional

Batik Besurek on display at Museum Nasional

Thanks Liesna for the lovely Kebaya Day!

Mbak Elok sampai jumpa di Yogyakarta!

How did you celebrate Kebaya Day? Or when is your Kebaya Day?

Or how will you celebrate it in the future? 

Comment below!